A Remedy for Youth Struggles

If you ask me, it is best if your teen is not on social media at all. That is just my two cents, and you can take it or you can leave it. I really don’t see the benefit of it until they are 18-years-old. People are very strange these days, and you have to protect your child at all costs. It is important to remember they are not your friend. You are their parent, and they are your child. With this in mind, they need to learn how to develop real friendships with real people in the real world. After all, they do go to school. Because they go to school, that is where they should be making their friendships and it is where they should be connecting with other people.

There are too many dangers online with social media. Now, if they want to use the computer for looking things up online for school or watching educational videos, I fully support that. However, there needs to be a strict time limit and when that time limit is reached, they need to stick to it and they need to know you mean business. Now, I’m not saying you need to scare your child or make them afraid of you. There is a big difference between respect and them being afraid of you.

If they respect you, they love you and they know that the rules are the rules. There is no getting around them and there is no wiggle room. Online, there are many overage men and women looking to prey on younger children, especially teens. Teens today can be very vulnerable and they can be very naïve in many senses. They have not been exposed to the dangers of the world and all of that bad that is in it. They are too young to be exposed to that just yet.

As a parent, you have to let them know they can be online, but if someone is really a friend from school or in real life, you will need to know their parents and they will come over. It shows they are a true friend and someone they can really count on in the long run. This is not just some random stranger that is looking to come over and spend time or meet them somewhere. I don’t see one benefit to social media for a teenager. I see a lot of downside, as they don’t know how to relate to others, communicate with others, and really deal with them in real life.

Online is not real, but it can become very real if people use it for the wrong reasons, especially teens. It is why it is especially important to make sure they stay off social media and they have their heads in the right place. It will ensure they are happy, healthy, and living a good life. After all, it is all any parent wishes for their child as they grow up to become adults and productive members of society.

One of the hardest parts of being a parent is learning how to effectively discipline your child. On one hand, you never want to see your child upset or unhappy. On the other, you know that it’s up to you to help teach your child how to be a responsible and valuable adult. Fortunately, there are a few guidelines that you can use to help make sure you discipline your child effectively. These rules provide a bit of space for parents of all kinds, but they can by and large be followed by anyone with a child.

Have a Reason

There’s nothing more frustrating than being told to do something without being given a reason. Children understand from a very young age whether something is fair or unfair, and look to their parents to model fair behavior. As a parent, you need to have a reason for everything you do. Must you explain every choice you make to your child? Of course not! But you do need to have some kind of internal logic towards you discipline. If you don’t, your child will be unable to learn when he or she is behaving appropriately.

Discipline from Care, not Anger

It’s also important to remember that you discipline your child because you care, not because you are angry. Stop and think about the discipline choices you are making. Are you doing it to help your child learn a lesson, or are you doing it because you are angry at the child? If it’s the latter, you might want to stop and think about what your anger is teaching your child. Make sure that any choices you make are made because they are valuable for your child’s well-being. If you can do so, you’ll help him or her learn from what’s be done.

The precise methods of how you discipline your child will largely be impacted by your culture and your family. The reasons why you discipline, though, should be universal. Always make sure that there’s a valid reason behind why you are disciplining a child and always ensure that you’re not choosing discipline because of your own anger. If you can keep your motivation in the right place, you’ll help your child to understand that the choices you make are made for their benefit. It won’t always be easy, but it will help your relationship with your child.

Those of us who are parents of teenager all know how it is when your teenager starts complaining about being bored. Sometimes it seems like the generation that has more to do than anyone ever before — learn something on the internet, chat with friends, take pictures and post them on Instagram, watch a movie on Netflix, play the Xbox, go for a run and be able to calculate their heart rates with apps and Fitbits, etc. etc. — are the generation that has the biggest problem with being bored.

Is this because they are inundated with technology? Is this because there are too many things to watch on Netflix? Is this because there are too many pictures on their Instagram feeds?

The next time your teenager is complaining, saying that she is bored. Here is a list of things that she can do.

Read a book.

Write a story.

Put together a puzzle.

Play a board game.

Go for a walk.

Have a picnic.

Go bowling.

Play mini-golf.

Make dinner.

Learn a new language.

Learn to play an instrument.

Volunteer to help an organization.

Gather up old clothing and canned goods to give to a charity.

Build a model train/airplane/car.

Go rock climbing.

Go for a swim.

Take a dance class.

Learn how to cook something new or learn a new dance on YouTube.

Start doing yoga.

Research colleges she may be interested in.

Practice driving.

Learn how to sew.

Learn how to crochet.

Color in an adult coloring book.

Paint something.

Craft something they find on Pinterest.

Repurpose an old outfit or pair of shoes.

The list goes on. There are literally countless things that your teenager can do. In the world today with all of the options for entertainment that the internet brings, there is never a reason for anyone to be bored. The sooner we can teach our kids this, the better. Then they will learn how to entertain themselves as adults, how to live more well-rounded and balanced lives, and avoid boredom in the future.

There are always things to learn. There are always ways to grow and improve. It’s so important to teach these important principles to our teenagers as soon as we can.

Many of us parents are busy with work responsibilities and the hectic schedules of our daily lives. Babysitters and day care programs can be expensive. So it can be exciting when your children get old enough to be home by themselves. You can save a little money, and you can be away from the house without having to worry.

So how old is old enough? There is a lot to consider when you are thinking about whether or not your children are old enough to stay home by themselves. You may have a lot of questions, a lot of doubts, and a lot of concerns when you are contemplating this.

First of all, there are many state laws which actually indicate how old your child should be before he or she can be left home alone legally. Make sure you check with your state to see what laws are involved and what the laws say about how old your child should be before you let him or her stay home alone.

If your child is legally old enough to be home alone, you may first want to consider older siblings or family members who may be able to watch your child when you are unable to be there with him or her. There also may be other families in your neighborhood that are able to help you out one day if you can help them out the next day.

If there are no friends or family who are available and if your child is legally old enough to be home alone, the next thing to think about is the child’s independence. Do they have the understanding and the wherewithal to make the decisions that need to be made? Can they understand basic safety rules? Will they know what to do in the case of an emergency? These are much more important things to consider than your child’s actual age.

When the time is right for your child to be left home alone, you will know. The most important thing is that you do whatever is right for your child and your family whenever it is right.

Parenting is hard. Having an infant has its own set of challenges. Having a toddler is even more difficult. And just when you’ve gotten the hang of your child, bam! You have a teenager. It can be enough to send you into a world of panic and worry. But it doesn’t have to.

The teen years are a time of confusion and upheaval for everyone involved. It’s a time of intense emotional, mental, and physical growth. The years in which your child comes of age can be some of the most difficult years that you’ve had so far as a parent. But you can get through it if you keep your head on.

Teenagers can be idealistic and optimistic. Teenagers are full of possibilities. For teenagers, anything could happen, and they look forward to getting out into the world and becoming adults. As parents, we get the opportunity to guide our children into adulthood with the support and love they need to become responsible and unique individuals.

It’s important to be prepared for all of the changes that lie ahead when you have a child who is entering adolescence. You can expect physical changes with puberty such as menstrual periods and breasts for girls as well as lower voices and facial hair for boys. You can also expect changes in behavior as teenagers want to become more independent. You can expect your teenagers to act negatively and to rebel against you. This is normal.

The best way to survive your children’s teen years is to educate yourself. Read books about being a teenager. Remember what your own teen years were like. Did you keep a journal? Go back and read it. Reconnect with your teenage self. Try to put yourself in your child’s shoes.

Another tip that is crucial to remember is that you must communicate with your teen. Have a talk with him or her explaining sexuality, masturbation, wet dreams, the physical changes their bodies will go through. This may seem embarrassing but it will be much better for them to hear about these changes from you before they experience them.

The teen years can be full of turmoil for both you and your children. Make sure you take the time to really understand where they are coming from and to reach out to them with good communication skills.

So your son is 16 now. It’s finally time for him to get his driver’s license. Soon he will be a junior in high school. Where does the time go? Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday you were watching him play little league baseball? And now before you know it, it will be time to have “the talk” with your kid. No, not that talk. Chances are you’ve already had that talk with your son.

No, I’m talking about the alcohol and drug talk. By this point, I’m sure they will have seen the cool kids drinking at a party or the stoner guys hanging out with a joint in their mouths. It’s at this point that you should talk to your kid about drugs and alcohol.

First of all, it’s okay if it’s awkward. It’s going to be awkward, especially if they have started drinking or abusing drugs. But the thing is that you don’t want your kids to become chronic relapsers. While it can be difficult to get your children to follow your rules, you have got to try.

Start by being honest with your kids. Have you ever known anyone who had a problem with drugs and alcohol? Have you yourself ever had a problem with drugs or alcohol? How did you overcome that? Try to make the consequences of drinking and doing drugs well known so that your children can have all of the information to stand up to peer pressure when necessary.

You might also want to talk to them about some of their heroes who do not do drugs or drink alcohol. There are plenty of celebrities who are constantly talking about being sober, like Russel Brand. If you can find someone “cool” who is cool without using drugs or alcohol, that can really help.

Another thing is that you definitely want to give your children all of the information. They deserve to know the truth. There are a lot of great resources for talking to your kids about drugs. One such example is the Partnership for a Drug Free America (http://www.drugfree.org/).

If you do know kids who have already had serious problems with drugs or alcohol or if perhaps your kids are having this problem, it’s important that they understand their options. Try talking to them about rehabilitation facilities specific to teens like The Next Generation Village at The Recovery Village (https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/).

The most important thing about this conversation is that you aren’t shying away from talking to your teenager about the hard stuff. It may not always be easy, but in the long run, your teenager will appreciate openness and honesty much more than deception.